Browns' OC on Manziel: 'It's obvious how good of a player he is'

The Cleveland Browns need a quarterback and are nearly guaranteed to pick one in the NFL draft; the question is, which one will they choose?

With the No. 4 pick, Johnny Manziel is an intriguing option, and Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has been impressed with the former Texas A&M playmaker.

“It’s obvious how good of a player he is, how fun he is to watch,” Shanahan said Thursday at the end of Browns minicamp, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “I think it does translate to the NFL. If you can make those plays in college, you can do it in the NFL. The one thing about the NFL, there’s a lot of tape out there. You’ve got to be able to do everything.

“Whatever you do very good, they’re going to eventually be able to shut that down and you’re going to have to do something else. He’s going to be able to make plays in this league. Eventually when they try to contain him, he’s going to have to do everything he didn’t always have to do in college.”

Although the lack of ideal size is one of Manziel’s biggest weaknesses, Shanahan doesn’t have a problem with the prospect’s stature.

“The guy can play football,” Shanahan said. “I don’t care if you’re a big guy or a smaller guy, if you take too many hits in the league, I don’t care who you are, it’s tough to stay healthy. He’s got to take care of himself, especially with the way he plays, but I think he definitely has the size to succeed in the league.”

One reason why Manziel projects to be a great fit in Shanahan’s offense is because of Shanahan’s experience with mobile quarterbacks and the use of the read option. In Washington, Shanahan adapted his offense to fit the skill set of Robert Griffin III. Though Manziel and RGIII are comfortable in the read option, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Browns will target a mobile quarterback.

“I don’t think there’s any perfect fit,” Shanahan said. “We’ve had success with slower, non-mobile quarterbacks and we’ve had success with guys who can move. We do similar things with all of them. The main thing is figuring out what they do best and trying to put them in the best situation to be successful.”

Shanahan could be the key in the Browns’ draft strategy. Because of the coordinator’s familiarity with quarterbacks, Cleveland coach Mike Pettine entrusts the future of the position to his offensive coordinator.

“I’m going to defer to an expert,” Pettine said. “I can say what a good one looks like, but there are times I don’t know I can say why he’s good. There are things you’re looking for, but as far as the technical part of it, I’ll certainly defer to him and (quarterbacks coach) Dowell (Loggains) and as far as what they’re looking for in the system.

“One of the reasons I hired (Shanahan) is that his system is flexible. He was able to be productive with Matt Schaub, who wouldn’t be on your list of mobile quarterbacks in the NFL, then he was able to have a historic year with Robert Griffin, who’s probably the most mobile. They come in all shapes and sizes. But I think we’ve gotten to the point where we’re very much on the same page with what we’re looking for.”